U.S. Marine helicopter crashes in Iraq (31 Marines Killed)

A buddy of mine serving in Falluja send me an email Tuesday. He's in the Army Reserves, but was previously in the Navy and later the Army during and after VietNam. After 9/11, he re-enlisted and later volunteered for service in Iraq. Here's a small quotation from a portion of his message:

"Speaking of the Marines, the group that we were working with rotated out for a new group of Marines coming in. They are headed back to Hawaii where they are based. We got to know a lot of them pretty well, it was a little sad but we have several open invitations to stay with them if we ever get over to Hawaii. I’ve always regretted not keeping in touch with the guys I was in with before [VietNam]. The Marine with me (and my brand new M4 carbine with a reflex scope) in the picture, is up for the Silver Star Medal for saving another Marine’s life."

Tonight, the news reported some more details on the CH-53 transport helicopter that went down on Wed in Western Iraq near Ar Rutbah with all souls lost. Thirty Marines and one Navy seaman were on board. The Marines, who were based out of Hawaii, were part of a contingent being rotated out of Falluja and were on their way back home.

Don't ever let the MSM or the libs/dems/socialists tell you anything different -- the men and women serving in our Armed Forces are heroes one and all. They believe in their mission, the know its importance, and they understand that success is the only acceptable outcome.

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